One of my favorite October traditions is pumpkin painting! We take our annual trip to the pumpkin patch and the next day, we paint our pumpkins! It is such a fun and easy activity and the kids get to be more creatively involved than they do with pumpkin carving.

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Full Disclosure: This activity is an event for the whole family. Big brother is painting and decorating his pumpkin also, but for the purpose of this blog post, I am only showing the Little One.

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For this activity, you will need:

  • A pumpkin
  • Washable, Non-Toxic Tempera paint (I use Crayola but any brand will do)
  • Paintbrushes
  • Extra decorations are optional, but I find they love to use them: googly eyes and stickers are my kiddos' faves!

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Note: I find it is a must to dress your kiddos in clothes you don't mind throwing away after or converting to play clothes only. Even though the paint is washable, I find it still stains.

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After I have set the table and redirected his paint brush to the pumpkin rather than his body, I just let him go to town!

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He likes to experiment with using the end tip of the paint brushes.

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Building that fine motor grip!

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He painted the stickers as well. Nobody seemed to mind so I let him redesign to his liking.

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He even added a couple of stickers to his pumpkin. They immediately got a makeover, of course.

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He decided to add a little flare to his toys as well. The paint washed right off of these.

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And this is why I recommend using old clothes or clothes you don't mind being ruined. Thank goodness for non-toxic paint. Notice he's taking some googly eyes for the road. Mmmmhmmm…thinks he's sly.

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What's he learning? 

  • Building fine motor skills
  • Hand/eye coordination
  • Creativity
  • How to use art materials and tools

 

What is your favorite October activity? 

What fall traditions do you have?